Digital Government
Harris/Teledata satellite system offers voice service
TUZLA, Bosnia U.S. forces here definitely could use a "Star Trek" "comm badge" to supplement their tactical satellite systems. But in lieu of that, they have a Harris Corp./Teledata Corp. satellite system that offers something almost as good: U.S. dial tone. Rich Kronebusch, a senior manager
Digital Government
FAA threatens prime with pact termination
The Federal Aviation Administration is threatening to terminate the $475 million WideArea Augmentation System (WAAS) contract if prime contractor Wilcox Electric Inc. does not correct specified deficiencies in the program. In a March 18 "cure" letter sent to Wilcox, the FAA spelled out 10 areas
Digital Government
DOD amends DISN pact; Hill members call for delay
Two days before accepting bids on the transmission portion of the nextgeneration, multibilliondollar, longhaul Defense Department contract, the Defense Information Systems Agency issued an amendment opening up the contract to all other federal agencies. DISA described the change as "incidental,
Digital Government
GTSI expands NIH product line
Government Technology Services Inc. has expanded its product offerings on the National Institutes of Health Electronic Computer Store contract. GTSI has added computers from Dell Computer Corp., Apple Computer Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. to the contract. The additions will provide buyers access
Digital Government
DOJ snags Argentine hacker
The Justice Department has tracked down and charged a 21yearold computer hacker for allegedly accessing sensitive satellite, radiation and energyrelated engineering data contained in government computer systems. An arrest warrant has been issued for Julio Cesar Ardita of Buenos Aires, who gained
Digital Government
SSA to modify mainframe buy
The Social Security Administration agreed last month to amend its multimilliondollar mainframe buy to settle a vendor's protest that the buy unfairly favors IBM Corp. over other bidders. SSA agreed to remove from its Mainframe Acquisition Project (MAP) a requirement that bidders include a recently
Digital Government
Tech infrastructure gets $600M overhaul
The Defense Mapping Agency plans to spend more than $600 million over the next eight years overhauling its technology infrastructure to meet the demands of the Defense Department's changing mission. After announcing an agency restructuring last June, DMA stepped up its modernization initiative in F
Digital Government
INS courts airlines for help tracking foreign visitors
The Immigration and Naturalization Service is considering ways to automate the collection of nonimmigration documents to better track visitors who remain in the United States illegally. INS officials are discussing with various airline executives how the airlines may automate the collection of I9
Digital Government
FEDWIRE
Congress, Clinton agree on new CR Congress passed another continuing resolution extending funding for the government until April 24. President Clinton was expected to sign it Friday. Lawmakers adjourned Friday for a twoweek recess, leaving a bill providing fullyear funding for agencies on hold un
Digital Government
NRC nabs first revamp award
The HighPerformance Computing Modernization Program Office has announced its first contract award in its plan to revamp the Defense Department's scientific computing and communications infrastructure. Under the eightyear contract, estimated to be worth up to $155 million, Nichols Research Corp. (
Digital Government
JetForm to ship Web products
JetForm Corp. is set to ship new versions of its forms products designed for use with the World Wide Web. The Webenabled release of JetForm Filler Version 4.2 will allow organizations to use public and private Web servers to download, fill out and print electronic forms. JetForm also will market W
Digital Government
Under what conditions do miscertifications matter?
The following issue was raised by a reader: Most government solicitations include representations and certifications that must be completed by the offerors. What are the consequences when an offeror fails to complete such representations and certifications properly? Almost every government solicita
Digital Government
Technology divergence: DMS and the rest of the world
"A billion here, a billion there pretty soon you're talking real money." This is such a great quote; I hope someone really said it. If not, I'll appropriate it to describe what looks to be happening with the Defense Message System and the direction the commercial world is taking in electronic
Digital Government
OFPP plan would offer one source for agency data
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy wants agencies to link their acquisition home pages to ARNet, a World Wide Web clearinghouse for information on federal purchasing reform, and tie these sites together through a text retrieval system that would allow vendor searches. The service would offer
Digital Government
Congress threatens TSM funds
Members of Congress last week warned the Internal Revenue Service that they will cancel the Tax Systems Modernization next year unless the agency proves to them within the next two months that it can repair the multibilliondollar program. "We're done," said Rep. Jim Lightfoot (RIowa), chairman
Digital Government
Hewlett-Packard unveils improved Color LaserJet
HewlettPackard Co. last week announced a dramatically improved color laser printer, which will soon be available through the General Services Administration schedule. HP's Color LaserJet 5 replaces the company's Color LaserJet product, released in 1994. The product, like its predecessor, employs a
Digital Government
AF secretary on wings of a dream
Secretary of the Air Force Sheila Widnall, the first woman to hold the top civilian post in any of the three military services, calls her job the culmination of "a lifelong dream. It brings many of the threads of my life together." These include, Widnall said, "a lifelong fascination with airpla
Digital Government
Amdahl claims SSA contract favors IBM
Amdahl Corp. charged that the Social Security Administration's multimilliondollar mainframe buy unfairly favors IBM Corp. to the exclusion of other bidders. In a prebid protest filed with the General Services Administration's Board of Contract Appeals earlier this month, Amdahl claimed SSA "virt
Digital Government
Logicon revamps I-CASE software and hardware
The Defense Department's Integrated ComputerAided Software Engineering contract is poised to offer software development, database and workstation products at prices designed to beat the General Services Administration schedule. Earlier this month Logicon Inc., the ICASE prime contractor, added Te
Digital Government